The NGO wants the general public to identify more closely with its activists, by showing that they are ‘normal people’. It hopes this will encourage more people to take part in its campaigns.

Press officer James Turner said: ‘Although our activists are brave, they see themselves as normal members of the public. We want to break down barriers between what we are doing and what people at home are doing.’

Greenpeace has turned to Twitter in a bid to make its direct actions and campaigns more interactive. It is also using it to send news to its 10,000 online followers that mainstream media might not otherwise report.

The organisation is also stepping up the use of celebrities in its campaigns, with Alistair McGowan, Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry all getting involved. Turner said celebrities enabled the NGO to reach different audiences, but stressed it was selective about the celebrities with whom it worked.